irish host f lorida state for senior weekend, big series

it stood to reason that some of the younger options would need more time to develop before receiving regular touches.

b ut that plan faded away Thursday evening, with d iggs announcing he will be entering the transfer portal. h e is the fourth noteworthy i rish player to enter the portal in the last few weeks. f irst, Lorenzo s tyles came into the portal the day before the b lue- g old game. Linebacker Prince Kollie entered shortly after. a nd Tyler b uchner had a brief stay in the portal, officially announcing earlier Thursday he will reunite with former i rish offensive coordinator Tommy r ees in a labama.

Last season, d iggs played in 12 of n otre d ame’s 13 games. h e averaged five yards per carry on 165 rushes that accounted for four touchdowns. d iggs was also a threat in the passing game, hauling in 10 receptions for 211 yards and two scores. i n his first season with the i rish in 2021, the b outte, Louisiana native also accounted for 230 yards on the ground and 56 through the air, combining for four touchdowns.

Contact Andrew McGuinness at amcguinn@nd.edu

By J.J. POST a ssociate sports editor

This weekend, n otre d ame softball will look to win their fourth consecutive acc series as they welcome f lorida s tate to s outh b end.

The matchup with the s eminoles is about as pivotal as they come for the i rish. n otre d ame currently sits precariously on the ncaa Tournament bubble. d1 s oftball.com recently listed the i rish as one of the last teams in their projected national tournament field.

n otre d ame needs a statement win. The i rish are currently 3-5 against teams in the r P i top 25. That 37.5% winning percentage is good as far as bubble teams go. b ut it’s not nearly enough to make up for slip-ups like a series loss to Pittsburgh, as well as a middling strength of schedule.

f lorida s tate currently ranks fifth in r P i . They’re a consensus top-five team across national polls as well. They’ll enter m elissa con scored 264 goals this year, good for fourth in the acc n otably, they boatraced n otre d ame’s last opponent, v irginia, for 25 goals in the two squads’ a pril 15 matchup. h owever, the

Buchner

con T inued from Page 16 only for the g ator b owl, where he led n otre d ame to a 45-38 victory, accounting for five touchdowns but also throwing three interceptions.

With the door to the starting position much more open in Tuscaloosa than in s outh b end, b uchner thanked his teammates for the “friendships that were forged under fire” and his coaches for “all they did to help [him] mature both on and off the football field.” b ut ultimately, in his statement, b uchner said playing football at a labama and under s aban would be “the best decision for [his] future.”

Contact Mannion McGinley at mmcginl3@nd.edu c ook s tadium on the heels of a six-game winning streak that has included four ranked wins. They’ve won 13 of 14 games so far in a pril, including a road sweep of a c lemson team ranked n o. 6 nationally. i f a statement win will help n otre d ame guarantee an ncaa Tournament berth, the s eminoles present a perfect opportunity. b ut f lorida s tate is as highly ranked as they are for a reason. They’re excellent in all phases of the game. f lorida s tate has drawn 203 walks on the year. n o other team in the acc has more defensive showing of the i rish in the e aster weekend defeat is promising. b oston c ollege scored just 12 goals at a rlotta, their third-worst attacking output on the year. f or n otre d ame to have a shot at advancing to the final, they’ll want to turn the game into another low scoring slugfest. than 191. s upplementing a strong s eminole offense is quality pitching in the circle. f lorida s tate’s staff boasts a team era of 1.66, good for second best in the conference. a nchoring the s eminole staff is the onetwo punch of m akenna r eid and Kathryn s andercock. The pairing boasts 10-0 and 17-3 records, respectively, and pristine era s that come within one-tenth of a point of one another. r eid’s is 1.01, second in the acc s andercock comes in at fourth at 1.07. r ounding out the primary rotation is a llison r oyalty. r oyalty hasn’t been nearly as dominant as r eid or s andercock but still boasts an impressive 7-1 record with a 2.03 era n otre d ame softball will be back in action f riday against f lorida s tate. f irst pitch is set for 6 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on acc n etwork.

The s eminoles’ electric offense ranks as one of the best in the conference. They’ve totaled exactly 300 runs on the year and are one of just two acc teams to reach that mark. Power hitting has been a hallmark of f lorida s tate’s offensive success. They rank first in the acc in doubles, second in triples and fourth in team slugging percentage. The s eminoles are also smart about getting on base.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu n otre d ame women’s lacrosse will be back in action against b oston c ollege f riday afternoon from c harlotte, n orth c arolina. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start time and will be broadcast on the acc n etwork.

Contact J.J. Post at jpost2@nd.edu